Diver drifts 3 miles

[AquaExplorer]

So a guy "misses" (note, not intentionally) the granny line due to waves/current and he "screwed" up?

Damn you guys are harsh. So next time you "miss" that driver that swerves in your lane I will make sure you get the fault for "screwing up" by not being prepared and avoiding the car.

 

[Scott L]

So a guy "misses" (note, not intentionally) the granny line due to waves/current and he "screwed" up?

Damn you guys are harsh. So next time you "miss" that driver that swerves in your lane I will make sure you get the fault for "screwing up" by not being prepared and avoiding the car.

Yeah, I was thinking the same. Tough conditions increases the chances of almost anything. Nevertheless, I getting a whiff of split fins...

 

[Indian Valley Scuba]

Oh please don't start that nonsense, the fins don't make the diver and there are plenty of first class divers in splits as well as plenty of yahoo's in turtle fins. Equipment doesn't make the diver, and in fact if your skills are solid, you can use whatever is at hand to execute a safe and succesful dive.

 

[AquaExplorer]

Yeah, I was thinking the same. Tough conditions increases the chances of almost anything. Nevertheless, I getting a whiff of split fins...

HEY now, leave my split fins out of this!

 

[Scott L]

Oh please don't start that nonsense, the fins don't make the diver and there are plenty of first class divers in splits as well as plenty of yahoo's in turtle fins. Equipment doesn't make the diver, and in fact if your skills are solid, you can use whatever is at hand to execute a safe and successful dive.

I disagree. Swimming against current is the #1 deficiency of the fins. The Spiegel Grove often has strong currents. Split fin use in such circumstances increases the possibility of such an event occurring.

 

[Indian Valley Scuba]

I stand by my comment. Any site can have currents, we, along with thousands of others, often dive the Spiegel, the Bibb and every other wreck from Riviera Beach to the Dry Tortugas (check our Travel Schedule). Conditions of course vary but split fins won't hurt you. It's the diver that matters.

 

[mike_s]

I disagree. Swimming against current is the #1 deficiency of the fins. The Spiegel Grove often has strong currents. Split fin use in such circumstances increases the possibility of such an event occurring.

If we're gonna "split fins" over this, it was on the Bibb... Not the Spiegel Grove. (sorry I couldn't resist...)

Granny line is tied from the back where the tag line is located to the anchor or shot line in front. It's used to give you something to pull yourself forward to the descent line in heavy current.

While I agree with your statement, I've seen boats uses either term for either line before without much consistency.

 

[ONESPEED]

While I'm no fan of split fins, if the diver was using the granny line and mooring line to properly descend to the wreck in current his fins would be irrelevant. As much as I personally dislike splits I seriously doubt they were the cause of this incident, especially since we don't even know what kind of fins the diver was wearing.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Another split fin debate

 

[Walter]

Trust nothing you hear on the news or read in a newspaper. My former spouse and I spent years in the news biz; believe me, trust nothing.

That was my point.

If the diver was the first in the water, if the last diver was in the water 15 minutes later (not unusual), if they were in the water 25 minutes (including safety stops), if they reported the missing diver 10 minutes after the last diver was on board, the diver would have been drifting 50 minutes before he was reported missing. He was found approximately 45 minutes later, approximately 3 miles away. Current would be approximately 1.75 knots. If he were picked up 2.5 miles away (quite possible) the current would have been approximately 1.5 knots. Of course this is based on a bunch of ifs. They could all line up the other way. We really don't know the speed of the current.

True but the dive op was quick to cast judgement.

I may drop the tag line to stay with a buddy who has missed it, but there's no reason to miss the tag line. If I miss it, I've screwed up.

So a guy "misses" (note, not intentionally) the granny line due to waves/current and he "screwed" up?

Exactly. When the current is ripping, you grab the tag line as you enter the water. If you miss it, you grab the current line and pull yourself to the tag line.

Damn you guys are harsh.

No, just realistic. We all have to accept responsibility for our own actions. That's the only way we will ever correct our mistakes.

Yeah, I was thinking the same. Tough conditions increases the chances of almost anything.

Ya gotta know your limits. His screw up might have been attempting the dive.

Swimming against current is the #1 deficiency of the fins.

With a tag line, there's no need to swim against the current. Currents on the Bibb can be so strong no one can swim against it with any fins.